Happy Birthday Dalai Lama
Remembering Glastonbury Festival on His Holiness's birthday
Today is the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday. I am posting this very happy memory when he joined us on stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 2015 for his 80th birthday. May he stay in good health, an inspiration to all and a beacon for the Tibetan People.
A little birthday poem I wrote him many years ago….
A small entreaty
For His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
May I be nothing
but the peeling of a lotus
papering the distance
for you underfoot
one lone skin
to lift and fashion
as a cap to cradle
your bowing head
an ear to hear
the great horn
a slipper to mount
the temple step
one lone skin
baring this wish
may your hands
be full of nothing
may your toys
scatter the sky
tiny yellow bundles
bursting like stars
like smiles
and the laughter
of a bell
I once saw the Dalai Lama dedicate a Peace Memorial in Toronto. There was a palpable aura of peace and joy around the man. The laughter of bells. I also saw two Tiberan monks spend a week creating a beautiful sand Mandela and then sweeping it up and scattering the contents into a river. Such a moving comment on the transitory nature of human endeavors... even great art. Happy birthday. Thanks for the celebratory poem, Patti.
I, too, made a mistake - not having seen this earlier today. I first saw the subsequent post wherein you - Patti - corrected the date.
What an amazing video this is! Thank you so much for sharing it. I have watched it over and over and I’m grateful that you posted this late because it came like manna today, as did the beautiful poem you wrote for His Holiness.
I love the whole poem but especially this:
may your hands
be full of nothing
may your toys
scatter the sky
tiny yellow bundles
bursting like stars
like smiles
and the laughter
of a bell
Thank you so much, Patti. Thanks to everyone for all the kindness herein.
As ever,
Robin